Integrated pollution-control in the United Kingdom: prospects and problems

S Owens

Received 3 March 1988; in revised form 2 September 1988

Abstract. In April 1987 the United Kingdom took an important step towards the 'integrated' or 'cross-media' approach to pollution-control with the creation of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP). Significant legislative change is now proposed which will put HMIP on a statutory footing and enable it to take an integrated approach to the control of more serious problems of pollution, considering the impact on the environment as a whole. Integrated polution-control has been claimed to offer environmental and administrative advantages over a sectoral system, but these remain to be demonstrated in practice and some important conceptual, methodological, and institutional issues remain to be resolved as HMIP embarks upon implementation of the new approach. Political commitment to pollution-control, reflected in the availability of adequate resources, will be essential if real progress is to be made.